Yep, it's time for our first damage poll of 2012. Donatella Versace, Our Lady of Scented Extravagance,1 wants to know what you bought in the 1st quarter (January, February and March) of this year.
Update: the poll is now closed, thanks to everyone who voted!
My purchases? I bought 2 bottles…
First, a 30 ml of Lush Silky Underwear ($30). Then, an adjustment for a bottle I actually purchased in the last quarter of 2011 but forgot to include (oops!): a 15 ml bottle of Hermès Santal Massoïa ($55). So my grand total is $85.
As always, report your purchases in the comments if you dare! And as always, we don’t include samples or gifts, and you can count miniatures, decants and bottle-splits howsoever you like (I usually count them as half bottles).
1. Why does Donatella host (against her will, mind you) the damage polls? There is no real reason other than the picture of her perfume collection, which shows that she indulges regularly at the perfume counter. The image, by the way, is originally from Allure magazine and appears here courtesy of Blogdorf Goodman.
Eeek! This quarter:
Kai Body Glow ($33)
Jo Malone Black Vetyver Cafe ($55)
2 15 ml bottles of Hermes Ambre Narguile ($75)
Gorilla Perfumes The Smell of Weather Turning ($14)
Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee (FOR THE BOYFRIEND) ($60)
I would also like to praise the perfumistas whose perfume spending at the recent Smell Good, Do Good fundraiser helped raise $1,220 for a domestic violence charity!!!
You don’t have to count the Boyfriend’s gift, unless you want to (or plan to, um, “borrow” it).
Wow, that’s excellent — great job on the charity fundraiser!
That’s awesome about the fundraiser!
I bought two ultra-cheap bottles — Cabotine, to replace the mini I used up, and a blind buy of Salvador Dali Laguna. Laguna turns out to be kind of weird; it opens like sharp sour dried apricots, which is not what I expected in a “summery, marine” scent! I’ve worn it a couple of times and can’t decide whether I like it. Total damage for both: $25.
And one sample lot on eBay: Bulgari Blu II, Jimmy Choo, Elie Saab, Bottega Veneta, Hampton Sun Privet Bloom, Amouage Dia, Sonoma Scent Studio Winter Woods and Jolie Femme, Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine, and they threw in some of those odd Exceptional … Because You Are samples that are always floating around the Internet. I think there were a couple of other niches I wasn’t familiar with in there, too. $10 for the whole shebang.
Oh, and I bought my 10-year-old a clearance bottle of Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style Li’l Angel — my fingers get exhausted just typing that stupid name. Sephora is blowing out a bunch of the Harajuku Lovers stuff right now; $9 for the 1/3 ounce bottles, $15 for the one ounce. The original Li’l Angel apparently smelled kind of awful, like a spilled wine cooler — fortunately the Wicked Style version is undistinctively sweet but fine, especially if you are 10 years old.
Interesting — wonder if the Harajuku Lovers thing is over? Just now realized they haven’t done any this year.
I’m a model of restraint so far this year. I didn’t buy a single full bottle. Only samples and small decants.
Congrats, V!
Yay!
4 bottles but only paid for 3:
Two 3.4s of vintage Guerlain Vetiver (a HG and I must have some on hand at all times!)
Two 1.7s of Ormond Man – in a strange but welcome ‘happy accident’, the London store duplicated by order and shipped it twice and only charged me once. I smiled and just considered it a gift-with-purchase!
Total damage: Approx $275
Wow! You got some great stuff, and the “gift with purchase”–priceless!
I’m going to need to find some vintage Vetiver soon. At the moment, what’s left in my bottle nearly qualifies as “vintage” 🙂
Robin, email me at rjepps atsymbol gmail dotcom. I literally have 14 full bottles and I would gladly send one to you, gratis. Just my way of saying “thank you” for all you’ve done for us here. 🙂
See how easy that was?
That is so kind of you, thank you! I may take you up on that if I ever do finish my current bottle, but at this point in my perfumistaship, it’s crazy for me to have double bottles of anything — I just don’t use perfume up fast enough. It is within the realm of possibility that I will NEVER finish what I have.
Three bottles: ELPC Tuberose Gardenia, Nuit de Noel parfum, and Lush Silky Underwear.- a little over 2 bills (ouch).
Wow, jealous of your Nuit de Noel!
I recently smelled the parfum and came home and bought it online immediately…and justified it as a late b-day present 🙂
One bottle of Tubéreuse Criminelle for me. I used some gift vouchers that were given to me AND it was on special offer so my grand total spend came to…£3! A pretty excellent start to the year, I think.
Now THAT is how to shop. I salute you.
Wow. Just wow.
Pretty excellent, indeed!
Thanks, ladies! I love a bargain but it makes me so deliriously happy that it would have been money well-spent even at full price.
Wonderful choice!
This quarter felt like a bloodbath:
Jacomo Silences 100 mL($20)
Tokyo Milk Ex Libris 30 mL ($28)
Tokyo Milk Age of Aquarius 30 mL (ditto)
Laura Mercier Neroli 50 mL ($35 at Coscto; bad-day impulse buy)
AG Ninfeo Mio 100 mL ($50-ish via a discounter)
DSH Oeillets Rouges 10 mL ($55-ish in spring sale)
mini of DSH Fleurs d’Oranger ($20-ish, also on sale)
Chanel No. 19 100 mL ($75 with Nordies reward note)
I also bought the OJ Discovery Set, which I’m counting as a FB because it was about as expensive as the No. 19.
Happily, I do not have to count the results of my Christmas gift certificates: ELdO Like This, Tokyo Milk Sea and Sky, and Lucy B Royal Egyptian Amber and Honeysuckle.
Well, you got good stuff! I adore Oeillets Rouges and No. 19.
Thanks, Mals! I think Oeillets Rouges is the best carnation I’ve tried so far (aside from Guerlain Terracotta Voile d’Ete, which is quite different).
I love carnation. There’s another one to put on my list…
I have some LM Neroli, and it is very pleasant in the springtime, which is the only time I wear it. It’s a shame her “fine” fragrances are all discontinued, and we’re only left with the silly foody ones she does. And congrats on the Like This! One of these days I’m going to get some of that.
Oh dang, there were also two minis in there — Eau de Rochas and Silences, $15 for both. And I love both scents.
Silences is AWEsome.
Eau de Rochas is one of my favorites.
I love Eau de Rochas, too…
Hey everyone, I’m back! Surprisingly, I only bought 2 bottles this quarter.
1 bottle of EL Azuree, in preparation for spring
1 bottle of Crabtree & Evelyn Evelyn Rose, also for spring
Not bad at all! And welcome back.
Uh, so for all the fact that I bought probably one fragrance for myself last quarter, I cannot say the same of this quarter.
The damage thus far is as follows:
Vintage Mitsouko EdT
Vintage Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps Parfum
Vintage K de Krizia Parfum
The following were bought as an auction lot and as of today are still mysteriously in transit somewhere in SoCal despite having been shipped from Texas with the destination of NoVa. It’s the postal service’s fault, not the seller:
Vintage Bourjois Evening in Paris Cologne
Vintage Bourjois Evening in Paris EdT
Vintage Blossom Fragrance set: Moss Rose, Russian Violet, Wild Cyclamen, Clove Pink , Stock , French Lilac
Vintage Les Grands Parfums de France set: Orient Charier, Air de France Charrier, Parine Bonnet France, Malia Charrier, Madisha St. Sauveur
And the my biggest purchase was Serge Lutens De Profundis. It should be noted that this was bought unsniffed. I’ve been dying to have a bottle of it since Ari at Scents of Self did a review. It’s still in transit from Paris. I plan on dressing in black satin & rolling around in this stuff when it arrives.
I don’t want to mention how much I’ve spent … I just don’t want to be reminded.
Oooh, vintage goodies… exciting.
Yes, vintage goodies. Clearly I’ve lost my mind.
I didn’t realize that I had purchased a fragrance lot until after I paid for it. I just wanted the Evening in Paris since I had it alleged to me that it smelled like Shalimar if Shalimar were worn by a Parisian whore — could not pass that up. It’s like a treasure trove. I don’t even know what to expect. I just hope the postal service doesn’t lose it forever or that it was simply scanned incorrectly or something.
I do hope it shows up! Three perfume packages I mailed last fall-winter never made it to their destinations. Maybe you’ll be luckier and it will find your mailbox soon. Those are some interesting scents, too. I’m pretty sure I’ve smelled Evening in Paris, long ago, but can’t remember it.
You’re not the only one who’s lost her mind. I did the same below, except I fessed up on the cost of damage.
I blame Mals – Re-read one of her comments from a few years back about going on a spending spree for vintage fragrances and casting a wide net for great finds. The only difference is that she probably spent far less than I did…
Snort! Probably didn’t spend any less…
Oh – vintage are awesome! I just love it when you find something special on ebay and the seller is just off-loading some estate and they either don’t care or don’t know what they have. I got a sweet little 5 ml mini vintage Chamade for about $12 a few years ago, and it is awesome! … And Operafan- I haven’t forgotten about the vintage No 5 and swappies!!!
Hey Ann! Don’t worry – I know. You’ve got plenty going on on your end. Get your garden plans worked out first!
HUGS!
Just one for moi, but it was a doozy – Hermes Vetiver Tonka. I’m loving it, though, so it was worthwhile.
Yum!
Love it! Great investment that one…
This is the FIRST TIME in the last 8 years that I purchased nary a single bottle in a quarter. I did purchase ten samples, but they don’t count ! ! Saving up for Cuir de Russie in perfume, and for 31 Rue Cambon in edt.
Good for you!
sacre bleu, you are sort of me 🙂
also saving for Cuir de Russie extrait and 31 Rue Cambon edt 🙂
still, I bought Shalimar, a 30 ml baby 🙂 so 1 this Q
Those two are well worth saving for!
Well worht saving for!
Well, as usual I bought vintage stuff on ebay:
2 Carven Robe d’une Soir microminis, $10
50ml Muse de Coty PdT, $22
7.5ml vtg Jolie Madame parfum, $18 (this is my fourth mini JM parfum… I think I can stop rescuing them now)
And bought some minis/decants:
3ml Deneuve parfum, $17 (yes, it’s true: stunning stuff)
4ml DSH Chypre type EdP, part of the last stock, $18
4.5ml BK Rose Oud, $17
15ml BK Sweet Redemption, $38
And THEN bought threebottles:
approx. 40ml Deneuve EdT, $65 (thanks, Jack!)
50ml Penhaligon’s Violetta, $76 (have wanted this for three years; split off some of it but haven’t mailed it yet so won’t count off the split $)
Amouage Memoir Woman, $189 (I love this stuff, love it – but the package arrived from Kuwait yesterday, and it was HONOUR instead. GRRRR. I plan to negotiate hard for my Memoir, waiting to hear back from seller.)
And ALLLLSO:
Juicy Couture body creme, $18, because, lacking the watermelon note of the edp, it smells so awesome with my Mary Greenwell Plum
DSH Chypre lotion, last stock, $12
BUT: I also sold many liked-but-not-loved bottles, so I was only out-of-pocket $106. Could have been much worse, especially since everything I bought is Big Love.
Ahhh…so you made a decision on Memoir Woman! I know you were undecided about it for awhile. Hope the mixup gets cleared up!
Quite the haul. I’m so sorry about Memoir, though. Best of luck getting that sorted out. My perfume dramz seems quite less of a problem now since that lot was the grand total of $29.99.
I probably ought to just sell the bottle of Honour on ebay for what I paid, and try again later for Memoir. It’ll be too hot this summer to wear it, at least here.
I might be interested in Honour if you can’t get the seller to swap it out. Let me go sniff the sample I have of it at home. Like I need to be making any more perfume purchases.
You can let me know, but no pressure, of course.
Just heard back from the seller – apparently my package was switched with one going to Germany and both “wrong” items have now been located. Looks like I can exchange it, yay!
Yay! So glad that worked out for you. Also, I did not need to be buying another perfume right now so this saves me the temptation.
of course, ‘rescue’ is the magic word 🙂 thanks mals 🙂
How are the DSH body products? I’ve been curious about them. (Did I ask you this before??)
You know, I am only familiar with this Chypre lotion and one of the shower soap thingies – it’s vanilla, but I can’t remember which one. I like a less lotiony feel to my shower gels, so the vanilla went into the boys’ shower and they used it up but didn’t comment on it. The lotion is nice, highly scented, but not very thick. I’m just not really up on body products since I usually am happy with Bath & Body Works, or Neutrogena.
Deneuve is awesome! I had a mini bottle of that when I was in high school, and I should have bought a vat of it! Congrats on that. And I think I just heard a bell ring for that Amouage Memoir!!! Yeah!!!
Oh No! Honour! I wasn’t reading well above. I’ll give you all my good ju-ju to get that fixed. What a drag that must be!
This quarter probably adds up to more than I’ve spent in my entire LIFE on perfume–
About 225 on samples and decants (Mon mail is expensive, especially if you have perfume shopping ADD and want to try everything)
33 on Bellodgia extrait (vintage)
110 on Bottleneck Blues
135 on By Kiillian Love travel set
265 on Iris Ganache
55 on Anne Pliska
Grand total over $800
Will go hide under covers now to escape reality
Beautiful things. How’s the vintage Bellodgia? I’m not sure whether the mini I bought a few years ago was age-damaged, or if Bellodgia is one of the carnation fragrances that goes wrong on ME (there are several, which is sad because I love carnation when it goes right).
The Bellodgia was softer and rounder than I was expecting but quite pretty. Still, not as perfect as L’Heure Convoitee which will be in my 3rd Quarter expenses–I’ve already promised it to myself once I move
Wow, that is a lot of samples! Sounds like fun.
Oh my! I just read that again. That IS a lot of samples. And a lot of fun!
It is fun. I a a little more than halfway through the list, partially because I’m easily distracted but also because I sometimes just want the KNOWN rather than the excitement of the new
Did you buy every sample recommended?
Almost all the ones that I knew I couldn’t sniff locally,minus a few which I made up for by getting distracted and ordering other samples that caught my attention. I found my great love of Bottleneck Blues that way so it isn’t a problem. Still wish I could find decants or samples of Kenzo Magnolia, DL & Co angel’s Trumpet and prereformulation Pavlova just because I wan to try Everything on the List
It’s always fun to read everyone’s lists.
Decants:
L’Heure Fougueuse–back-up decant
Ambre Nue–not liking this so far. Will retest in the summer.
Infusion d’Iris absolue–I like to layer this over the edp later in the day. It’s fresher, owing to a more prominent iris note.
Turtle Vetiver Front–hardcore vetiver
Full Bottles
Chamade extrait, won on *Bay
Ambre Sultan FB
Damage: $245, kind of a lot for me.
Ambre Sultan was not a planned purchase. I got some in Posse’s Swapmania and knew immediately I’d found “my” amber. Thanks to a sale at Parfum1 I also got it at a discount. No buyer’s remorse on this one!
Chamade is terrific!
I agree Mals. I understand now why people collect the Guerlains in different concentrations. As soon as I got a decant of the pdt version the extrait was calling out to me.
Just one: Iris poudre 100ml. Very well behaved indeed.
My next purchase will be (soon) the discovery set 3 x 10ml by Neela Vermeire.
Someday I will have my very own bottle of Iris Poudre. And one of Carnal Flower, too.
It was one of my very first perfumista crushes, but somehow I never bought it because for years every time I wore it it became stronger by the hour and ended up choking me. Out of the blue, I tried it again last december and it behaved normally, so I HAD to buy a full bottle.
LOVE all of the Neela scents! They are fantastic!
I tried them on skin at the Esxence in Milan last saturday and they really are amazing. So interesting AND beautiful.
100ml – bold move. I bought the 30ml set (three 10ml bottles), which is probably best for me; much though I love Iris Poudre it sometimes overwhelms. (On the other hand, I love the way it lingers on clothing. . . I should just spray it on cards to tuck in my clothes drawers).
I purchased a lot this quarter…but have made the decision to stop, and spend some time enjoying my collection instead of acquiring new stuff. We’ll see how that goes!
Hosted a few splits, and purchased some bottles w/gift cards or PP $, so out of pocket isn’t so bad as it seems. Guessing it’s less than $200.
Bottles:
Dior Poison
Lab on Fire What We Do In Paris Is Secret
Guerlain Un Air de Samsara
Guerlain Myrrhe & Delires
Swiss Arabian Noora
Cologne du 68
La Petite Robe Noire (2012)
Decants:
Guerlain Myrrhe & Delires
Nobile 1942 Le Petit Chocolatier – Confiture, Praline, Noir Intense
Kilian Amber Oud
Minis:
L’Anonyme
Neela Vermeire Mohur, Trayee, Bombay Bling
I also acquired a bottle of vintage No 22 EDT and vintage Jicky EDT through a swap. Ended up selling the Jicky, but AM IN LOVE with the 22!!!
Vintage No. 22 is glorious. My fiance’s mother bought a bottle of it a while back — my influence & had I not just sprang for a vintage Shalimar at the time we might have gotten into a bidding war. Sadly, it doesn’t last terribly long despite the fact that the reformulated No. 22 clings to me.
Congrats on the vintage No 22 – I’ve just “seen the light” for No 22, and now I’m wondering whether I should get some too! I’m looking around on ebay, etc.
Good luck 🙂
Ha – thanks, Robin!
Nice haul Karin! I’ll be in touch to hit you up for a decant of MeD, I need more! 😉
Hey V! I can spare some when you need it.
I kind of went crazy this quarter. I’m not even counting the samples I purchased, which were several.
1. Chanel No. 22 (Les Exclusifs small bottle) purchased secondhand from Ari (JOY!! i was near the top of my wanted list).
2. Larger size bottle of Sweet Anthem Mary which had been on my wanted list for a while. also glorious stuff
3. Full size bottle of Caron Le 3eme Homme for my fiance for Valentine’s Day.
4. Contributed to a Kickstarter of a musical artist who I’m a fan of and she had a custom Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume oil incentive – got a set of 3 of the oils. I bought the perfume oils mostly to support her, but unexpectedly I ended up really enjoying the perfume.
5. I won’t have this in hand for a while, but I ordered the purse sprays of Miriam, Loretta, and Dark Passage (plus soap) from the Woman’s Picture Kickstarter. I’m counting it for this quarter since my card’s been charged! And we’ll say they combine to make 1 full bottle.
6. A whole bunch of Crazy Lilbellule (sp??) crazy sticks that were being cleared out on HauteLook
7. Mini of Cover Girl Navy I bought from Mals (does this count? It was $2! that’s basically free!)
We’ll call it 6 bottles.
Not a particularly good quarter. I am going to have to go into an austerity program for the rest of the year…
Oh gosh. I forgot the purse spray of Loretta. Technically yes, it does count on this quarter – but I suspect I will just add it to next.
Naaah, don’t count the Navy! Priced less than a sample (it was an unadvertised freebie in an ebay purchase)!
Oh! I bought some of those Crazylibellule sticks on HauteLook, too (but last December). Gave some as gifts, and kept a couple. Wishing I bought more. 🙂
Seems like HauteLook acquired Crazylilbellule’s remaining stock or something. They’re really fun to play around with. I think I got 6 or 7 for $20ish – really good deal. Maybe they’ll come back around again.
Must. Stop. Reading. This. Post.
I’m convinced you are all conspiring to make me spend more money! With every comment, I find myself saying “Oooh, I forgot about THAT one!”
But I will resist the temptation – for how long, I can’t say! Maybe I’ll just acquire some decants?
🙂
I’d go for splits but I don’t know other people for Poland who are willing to join some male bottles splits, international splits are kind of difficult to organize
I always laugh because the damage poll inspires more damage for the quarter to come. At least for me it does. I see all sorts of things I want.
Haha! So true!
Masculin trio from L’Artisan
Joya Composition No. 1 rollerball
TDC Bergamot decant
vintage Dior Eau Fraiche cologne (half-full)
vintage L’Air du Temps
Total: 215ish.
Ouch. Well, if anyone is interested in the Dior, I’m willing to swap it. I’m on mua as emcleod808.
Hope you’ll find a good swap — that’s a nice scent.
So far:
Cristalle
No.19
YSL Cinema
Dune
Like This (Tilda Swinton)
Bvlgari pour Femme.
What a lovely list. I own all of these except for Cinéma!
Great bottles! I never wear Cinema as much as I should.
10 ml Decants of PG Jardin des Kerylos, Les Nez Manoumalia, and Mary Greenwell Plum. Next step if I drain those decants (and I’m sure I will – it’s decant #2 for all of them) is a full bottle of each though that may take some time…..
And a tiny bottle of Wiggle Perfumes Orange Blossom Honey.
I think I might be the only person that liked but didn’t adore Plum. Maybe I’ll put it on again to be sure.
Nope, there are at least two of us 😉
Make that three! 😀
Ok then, it’s not just me!
Nah, we’ve got your back, Robin. 🙂
Count me into the club!
Didn’t buy a single bottle this quarter, can it be? It be! I did indulge in quite a few samples from Luckyscent, though, so I can’t quite say I spent nothing on perfume this quarter.
Congrats!
No new purchases up ’til now. But will probably buy something new soon because I feel the need for a bottle for a change.
Any ideas on what you might be getting? 🙂
That really is a good question. I really befriended that Histoires de Parfum 1725 you sent me over, but it’s quite expensive with a bigger bottle so I might save up some money for that small 14ml spray, just like the one from you.
But really I don’t know. Those two Chanels (monsieur & blanche) are still following me.
At least I got to test Kokorico which is nice, but definitely not something for me. Still waiting for L’Empereur 4 by D&G to show up for testing.
+ add Voyage d’Hermes Parfum I tested today and fell in love
Is it THAT time already? Gosh!
5 bottles for me this quarter…
1. Tom Ford, Violet Blonde 50ml
2. Serge Lutens, Clair de Musc 50ml
3. Thierry Mugler, Alien Le Gout du Parfum (Salted Caramel) 30ml
4. Viktor & Rolf, Spicebomb 50ml (which hubby has claimed!)
5. Chanel No5 Eau Premiere – Purse Spray (3x 20ml)
The Spicebomb and Violet Blonde were slightly discounted through Duty Free, and I snagged a freebie full size Alien body lotion from a lovely SA in Glasgow, along with some free samples of Dis Moi when I bought the Alien Le Gout.
I haven’t bought samples or decants in a long time, so this quarter I’m going to make a long list and then go nuts!
It comes around fast, doesn’t it?
Nice haul 🙂
I was very bad….. again!
14 FB so far.
Kokorico
SL Cèdre
Lanvin Avant-Garde
Spicebomb
Habit Rouge
Kenzo Homme Woody
Bvlgari Eau au The Rouge
to name a few.
I still have not tried that Lanvin, how is it?
I definitely bought more than is typical for me this quarter:
Après l’Ondée 110ml – (does it count if this was birthday/Christmas money?)
Dior Homme pre-reformulation 50 ml- to share with 16yo son – $60
Ambre Fétiche 100ml – $70, tried it on Monday, bought it on Tuesday, and I’ve NEVER done something like that before
Tocade 30ml – $15
Equistrius decant 10 ml – $15
Fig tree purse spray and minis of Lolita and L de Lolita from Ari’s sale 15ml total – $25
Nope – Gifts received have no values attached and gifts to give are not expenditures we lavish on ourselves (though we curious minds are always happy to know about them)!
😉
Oooh…. That reminds me – I can remove the cost for the Eau du Fier decant since that one was a gift fot the CEO….
Yaaay, $50 saved!
I bought way more than I expect to ever buy again in any future three month period. My interest (um… obsession?) with perfume just started at the beginning of the year, so I was basically starting from scratch, sampling like a maniac and building the foundation of a collection. Here’s what I got (in no particular order):
Chanel Bois des Iles
Cuir de Lancome
Frederic Malle Bigarade Concentree
Diptyque L’ombre Dans L’eau
Byredo Accord Oud
Balmain Ambre Gris
Keiko Mecheri Taormine
Vintage minis of Mitsouko and Courreges Empreinte edt
Vintage trio of Balenciaga Le Dix, Quadrille, & Fleeting Moment
Also, at least a hundred samples (maybe 60 of those purchased, the others free).
I refuse to do the math.
Yikes.
Congrats on the Bigarade Concentree, good choice 🙂 I’m eyeing it to buy for the summer…
I’ve been loving it, and getting excited to wear it in the heat of the summer. It was actually my first buy. The super sweet sales associate at the Frederic Malle counter played a big role in starting this whole thing for me. I was contemplating the Eau d’Orange Vert at the Hermes counter, which he was helping me with. We chatted about Terre d’Hermes (the only thing I owned at that point) and he lured me over to the adjacent Frederic Malle counter to show me the Bigarade. One thing led to another, and now I’m hooked.
Nice picks — you’ve got the beginnings of a great collection.
Thanks Robin! I’ve learned a lot from your great writing here. I’ve done at least as much reading as sniffing in the last few months!
Wow. That’s a nice starter set you have there. All kinds of good stuff. Congrats!
I bought 6 bottles this quarter:
Hermèssence – Santal Massoïa (15 ml) – 25€
Maître Parfumeur et Gantier – Bois de Turquie (100 ml) – 100€
Montale – Dark Aoud (100 ml) – 134€
Parfumerie Générale – 18 Cadjméré (50 ml) – 94€
Profumum Roma – Acqua e Zucchero (100 ml) – 180€
Thierry Mugler – Miroir des Envies (50 ml) – 130€
Total: 663€
And I thought I was a good boy. Your buying poll is like a wake-up call. Everytime I see it, I realise how much money I spend on my fragrances :-O
Oh, Good… I just did a quick currency conversion and yours came up $5 USD more than mine!
I’ve been wanting a bottle of Envies for awhile now…
Oh….. I was super bad! It’s as if I went on an ebay rampage and swept up every vintage bottle I laid eyes upon, plus a couple of decants, minis, and odds and ends ancillary products. So most of these are partial bottles and I tried to estimate the amount I actually got:
Chanel No 22 vint extr, (6ml)
Guy Laroche Fidji, vint edp, (4ml)
Guerlain Shalimar, vint extr, (2/3 oz)
Chanel No 5, vint extr, (6ml)
Charles of the Ritz Enjoli, vint mini perfume (3.5ml)
Chanel No 19, vint extr, .25 oz
Creed Jardin d’Almalfi, edt, 5ml decant
Coty Emeraude, vint perf, partial bottle
Crepe de Chin, vint perf, (.25 oz)
Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps, vint perf, .5 oz
AG Eau du Fier, .5 oz decant
Mary Greenwell Plum,edp, 10ml decant
Chanel Coco, extr, .5 oz
L’Heure Bleue, vint extr, 1 oz
Guerlain Habit Rouge 50 ml deodorant
Guerlain Vetiver mini edt set
Guerlain Heritage, mini edt 4ml
Guerlain Mahora,edp, 50ml
DSH Majoun, mini edp
mixed bag of Samples from Aedes & TPC
Damage total: $871
That’s a lot, but glorious. Simply glorious. And you must smell wonderful.
Well, I certainly have been stinking up the house on a daily basis, and the CEO just stands and shake his head everytime another package arrives in the mail with my name on it….
I admit I’m a little embarrassed by my perfume addiction when several packages arrive at once and I scoot past my fiance’ with a stack of boxes and scurry off into the bedroom to open them away from prying eyes. I feel like a squirrel or something, stashing acorns.
Oh, how funny! I do the same sometimes!
And Poodle, I know exactly how you feel….
Nothing wrong with stinking up the house. My husband has given up complaining about that.
I also hide my packages from him even though he gets the credit card bills. It’s better if he doesn’t see them I think.
I was just reminded that gifts purchased for giving don’t count monetarily, so am adjusting down to $821.
🙂
You got some lovely vintage things, and I’m jealous of your AG Fier!
oh I always love your damage poll lists Operafan…like a beautiful poem : ) keep up the good work : )
Thank you [blushes]. I didn’t know the expectation was there – now I DO feel the pressure….
OK, y’all are causing a major lemming for vintage No. 22. The current version is a mere shadow of its former self.
Fantastic list! But… has the fat lady sung? 😉
What are you – Nuts??? Of course not!!! 2nd Qtr collection has already begun….
😉
Vintage WOW! But now I’m wondering if I was bidding against you for the vintage No 22. Ha, one of these days we should exchange our ebay handles. Congrats on the awesome treasure you’ve won!!
Really, Ann? I’m sorry if I swiped it away from you. Yes, we WILL need to do that. Didn’t know you were on the hunt for 22. We can talk offline…
I put 0 in for the poll since I only thought I bought 1 decant (10 ml Guerlain Bois d’Armenie – $15), which only counts as half, but then I was reminded I got a Harjuku Lovers “G” for $10 at TJ Maxx. But I used a gift card for that, so that doesn’t even count! A few quiet quarter indeed.
You were really well behaved!
Lush Cocktail 9ml
Lush 25:34 1oz
Caron Impact 1oz
A*men Pure Shot
Tom Ford Lavender Palm
John Varvatos Anniversary
Slumberhouse Ore
Damage total – About $600 – which for me is being a good boy.
I really like the Lush 25 — I might buy a travel spray of it eventually.
Coty Wild Musk – at a drugstore during a recent US visit. I love America :p
Eau d’Hadrien – heavily discounted. Couldn’t resist. Will probably use as bedtime summer scent.
Elie Saab – loved the top notes, but the rest not so much. Ended up using as bedtime scent.
A vanilla oud with a label on it that I can’t read, bought in Saudi Arabia. Still can’t believe how good it smells, and how little it cost.
The Hermes four-pack – I got the rose for my mom, then for me the Vanille Galante and Ambre Narguile x2.
L’artisan Vanille Absolument – addictive.
I felt the same about Elie Saab – I think the top is gorgeous, and then that bare clean patchouli just grinds my nerves.
in this first water i buy!…
1.essence by narciso Rodriguez….112
2. w by robert verino…24
3. ralph laurent hot..24
4. antonio puig brave..45
5. best of ulric d varens..15
6.feerie by van cleef and arpels..55
7.carolina herrera 212..50
8.fan di fendi by fendi..95
9.marc jacobs splash curacao..22
10.marc jacobs splash apple ..22
Hope you like them all!
Oh my, I was bad, especially in January, as there were sales going on. I got:
Goutal: Le Mimosa & Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille (edp), both for a song on ebay.
Histoires de Parfums: 1725, and 1876, again cheapish ebay finds.
L’Artisan Parfumeur: Drôle de Rose, Havana Vanille and Côte d’Amour on the Artisan sale in January.
A back-up bottle of Parfums Delrae Amoureuse
Etat Libre d’Orange Rien
Apart from the Delrae and Rien these were all bought in January. I have made myself promise not to get another bottle till May. I already know what I would like to have and it is fairly expensive.
Oh my, why a backup of Amoureuse? Has it been discontinued?
Not to my knowledge, but I saw a bottle offered on ebay, made a very modest bid, and won.
I wear Amoureuse a lot, so I thought I might as well buy it.
Right… makes sense, of course. For me, it’s always been one of those fragrances you find compelling but difficult to wear and “moody”. So I never bought it, but it’s always in the back of my mind…
That’s just how I feel about Amoureuse, Delfina!
Love that Goutal Mimosa. Sampled it a couple of weeks ago and it is now on the eventual full bottle list. 🙂
Let me think… Okay I bought a bottle of Cabotine Gold for $10 at TJ Maxx unsniffed and to me it smells like a poor girls Coco Madmoiselle which I am happy with.
L’artisan Tea for Two for $95
Michael Kors eau de parfum $10
Kenzo Winter Flower for $30
I also bought some samples, a few of which I really like, which will most likely propel me further down the rabbit hole this next quarter.
So my total is $145. I can live with that.
Sounds like a nice mix! Good buy on the Kors, too.
This last was my least damaging quarter in the two + years that I’ve been firmly seated in the depths of perfume.
Manoumalia
PdN Vanille Tonka
Jil Sander No.4 (I think was this quarter)
L’Elephant (I think was this quarter)
Oh, Manoumalia… so great! Every time I wear it I wonder why I don’t wear it more
Good for you on the “least damaging”!
I had a pretty typical quarter. I purchased about as much as I’ve been doing per quarter for a couple of years now. There’s still so much that I want.
Full Bottles:
Penhaligon’s Cornubia
CJ Scents Goddess of Dreams
JM Vintage Gardenia (Purchased unsniffed from Mals’ unloved bottles she had for sale. I’ve only sampled it once – not sure what I think of it yet.)
Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa (ostensibly purchased for the husband, but I keep borrowing it)
Decants:
30 ml Etro Shaal Nur
10 ml Kerosene Truth Copper Skies
10 ml Guerlain Myrrhe et Delires
10 ml Cartier La Treizieme Heure
Mini:
Vintage Dune
All in all, not too bad!
“Still so much I want” – yep. Though I’m getting closer to ideal, by passing on bottles I don’t love and working up to buying bottles of things that I have found that I DO love (a used-up decant is a pretty good clue, for me). And I’m glad Vtg Gardenia found a new home.
I hadn’t heard of Kerosene until very very recently, but Copper Skies sounds nice (oh, and that bottle! amazing).
I have no idea what Kerosene Truth Copper Skies is, but love the name!
Robin – Kerosene Trewth( I spelled it worng before – duh) is a newbie indie parfumeur. A very talented as well as very nice person. Copper Skies is an awesome name and the fragrance is so well done. My husband confiscated my decant though! 🙂
Will have to investigate. Liked Kerosene Truth better though.
I have so far purchased six full bottles this year and about 20 samples (some were free). The rate I’m going, I’m going to have to create a cupboard or something in my room for all the perfumes I’ve collected. My last puchase was Roja Dove Scandal, which is my SOTD. I also found and purchased a decant of Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia on eBay. It’s a shame it has been discontinued.
Perfume eventually took over a very good sized cupboard in my office.
I did so well in the Posse Swap that my purchases this quarter amounted to just two bottles and a sample!
Peace, Love Juicy Couture ($49, bought from their 30% off sale, strictly for the bottle which makes me smile every time I look at it!)
A travel bottle of Viva la Juicy ($50) (the really tacky gold one) although come to think of it, that may have been a gift. (And my husband really likes it, which is good and bad, since it annoys me after awhile)
Sample of Immortal Mine, by Anje, which came yesterday and I have to say, it is extremely interesting. ($10 for a large sample, probably 2.5 mls. Way cool packaging, reddish velvet bag, complete with big black feather, and the sample itself dripping in sealing wax. I am such a sucker for stuff like this, and I adored it!)
So, call it $120, with shipping, and less than a hundred if the Viva was in fact a gift.
Oh, it was probably a gift 😉
Bless you. We both know it probably wasn’t! 😛
There is no occasion for a gift this time of year on my personal calendar. But I can’t quite shake the feeling that I didn’t buy it!
How sad is it that I truly don’t remember???
Hey, I forgot a whole bottle last quarter — it’s par for the course, right?
I bought a 50 ml bottle of Prada Infusion Vetiver for euro 29.- And in addition to my Prada Amber I also bought the Prada Amber silver flask – for in my murse, for euro 59.- I really liked the PIV so I also bought the 200 ml for euro 49.- Then I came across a Chanel Pour Monsieur, 50 ml, for only euro 26.-! So I spent +/- euro 160 in total. And another 80 euro on matching showergels… Oops the 500 euro perfume budget for 2012 is going rather quick!
Lucky you on that silver flask!
All I spent in the first quarter was $5 on a sample of Bottega Veneta (which I love). Everything else I acquired was through swaps or free samples. But I moved in January and my perfumes were in transit or storage for most of the first couple of months of the year, so my habit was in enforced hibernation. I try to stick to splits/decants as much as possible, but I probably won’t be able to resist a FB of Bottega Veneta in Q2.
I bought a 50ml bottle of BV edp last December after ONE sniff, and am glad I did. Not at all the sort of quick decision that one regrets later!
If you love it, it isn’t a waste of money!
Two:
Un Bois Vanille
Avignon
Hey, you were good!
Don’t look at my wallet…
Bought:
L’Artisan Traversée du Bosphore
OJ Tolu
Frédéric Malle En Passant
Dyptique Do Son
L’Artisan Thé pour un Été
Caron (pre-reformulation) Violette Précieuse
Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil
Jacomo Silences
Also Annick Goutal Eau de Camille, but I just sold it a few days ago because my nose changed so much during the time I waited to buy it…
Also I got FBs of Jeux de Peau and Cuir de Lancôme in a swap. (As well as a second bottle of Eau de Camille, because I thought it was the bottle I bought that had gone wrong, instead of my nose…)
Honestly I pretty much doubled my collection during this quarter…
I always forget, it’s *Diptyque, not Dyptique.
Really nice picks!
Ooh, En Passant and Do Son are two of my faves. Nice list!
One full = Dans tes Bras(50ml) (Love at first sniff)
One half = Jasmin de Nuit (half a 90 ml bottle)
Total – $240
I love half bottles, such a deal!
I thought I was good this quarter. Turns out, not really:
Full bottles:
Dark Amber & Ginger Lily
Rose Chronicles
Trefle Pur
Decants:
Orange Sanguine
Vanille Insensee
Eau rose (roll on)
Amber Oud
Tons of samples via Luckyscent
Hey, could be worse 🙂
Ooops: I checked the “zero” box, but now remember that I bought my Parfums d’Empire sample set in January. It arrived just when I’d succumbed to a bad cold, so I rather forgot about it and have barely explored any of it. The price was decent and the samples generous (1.6 ml sprays of thirteen fragrances), so I’d recommend it for those who are curious about the house.
I got one of those, too – do you have a favorite yet? I like Eau de Gloire and Cuir Ottoman – it reminds me of lapsang souchong tea
oh interesting, i like sapsang souchong, must check that out. have not encountered the brand at all yet
I’ve hardly tested any of them, so no favorites yet. After the three-weeks-long dreary cold, I went back to enjoying my old cool-weather standbys while the weather was still appropriate. Maybe as summer approaches I’ll feel like exploring the new stuff again.
I love this, here are mine:
Philosykos by Diptyque 50ml (God, I love this stuff, it’s like I know it’s weird and I’m not confortable smelling like a tree but it’s pretty unique)
Untitled by Maison Martin Margiella 50ml – Wow, just wow. Hello pharmacy from the 20’s.
Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise 30ml – What was I thinking, this is way too feminine, I think I confused this with another one as I tried like 15 at the same time and the indian lady was being super nice. This smells like Clasique JPG after its first hour. So expensive btw.
Midnight in Paris VC&A 125ml – Blind purchase, couldn’t test it at the airport and everyone told me this’d be a great replacement for Bvlgari Black/Dior Homme. Wrong, it’s like mixing those 2 applying them on sweated clothes and waiting 4 hours, that smell. So disappointed, sight.
I really liked VC&A Midnight in Paris… but would not have said it had all that much in common with Dior Homme or Bvlgari Black. I bought my teen son a mini bottle of the VC&A because he liked the sample (and I liked it on him).
Full bottles bought:
L’Artisan Timbuktu(50ml)-$80
Coach for Men(100ml)-$85
Bvlgari Aqva(100ml)-$32
total damage-$197…ish. Im not gonna factor in the shipping charges. Pretty decent. Really enjoying the Timbuktu.
Very decent, for 3 bottles.
For the first time since 2007, I have gone 3 months without purchasing a single drop of perfume. Not so much as a sample vial. I haven’t sworn off the stuff, I’m just enjoying what I’ve got. (Which is a lot.) By the time I’m ready to return to acquisition mode, it’ll probably be summer, and hence too hot where I am for perfume shipments. We’ll see how long I hold out!
It’s a nice feeling, yeah?
Annick Goutal Musc Nomade, 100 ml…. in a trade!
Deneuve parfum 8 ml decant
Serge Lutens Un Lys, 50 ml
Serge Lutens Muscs Koublaï Khän, 50 ml.
Issey Miyake Le Feu d’Issey, 50 ml.
L’Artisan Piment Brûlant, 50 ml.
L’Artisan Poivre Piquant, 50 ml.
L’Artisan Passage d’Enfer, 50 ml.
Les Parfums de Rosine Rose Praline, 100 ml.
Guess it’s been bad….
Hey, huge congrats on the Feu d’Issey, that’s a nice find.
FBs:
SSS Nostalgie
SSS Fig Tree
Guerlain Terracotta Voile d’Ete
Decants:
Guerlain Iris Ganache – 30 mls.
Prada Infusion d’Iris Absolue – 10 mls.
Total @ $286… not bad. I probably spent more on my Kindle books. In fact, I’m sure that I did, although I don’t know what kind of justification that is! 😀
“although I don’t know what kind of justification that is!”
A really, really good one! 😀
Thank you!
Yay, I’m glad you went for the Terracotta!
Yes, you should be proud of yourself! You’ve earned a stone for your enabler’s pin! 😀
That’s a compact, yet excellent list!
OK, here I am to make the rest of you feel better. Not counting samples or swaps, I bought:
Pheromone mini, 4 ml extrait (vintage) $ 17
Seven Sacred oils (set of 7 x 4 ml) $ 30
SSS Velvet Rose 5ml $ 16
Fendi Theorema mini, 3 ml EdP $ 10
Le Galion Sortilege mini, 7.5 ml PdT (vintage) $ 15
Shiseido White Rose, 15 ml extrait w/ bottle and box $275
Lelong Tailspin Music Box, 8 oz. cologne $ 85
Total $448
I was not sure whether that last item should even count, as I did not really buy it for the cologne, but for the music box, although the fact that it still was full of cologne was a plus. I had had “Lucien Lelong perfume music box” as a saved search on eBay for over a year, and so when one came up at a “Buy it Now” price I grabbed it. The White Rose, which was by far the most expensive single item, also happens to be the most beautiful rose perfume I have ever smelled. For that matter, it is one of the most beautiful perfumes of any kind that I have even smelled. I can honestly say I do not regret a single purchase that I made, and I think that is what counts. I would rather spend $200+ on a bottle that I truly love than $40 or $50 on something I end up not caring much for.
I was thinking what good deals you’d gotten and how little you had spent, until I got to that White Rose! Yikes! Let us know what you think of it. I’ve heard marvelous reports of it.
Oh, the music box DEFINITELY doesn’t belong on the list. 😛
And that White Rose is exquisite. I drained a sample years ago. I think the only prettier one I have ever smelled is a sample I got several years ago called Snow Rose, Private Reserve.
I always hear good things about White Rose. It sounds so lovely.
I have been on something of a rose kick lately, looking for the “perfect” rose. I really think White Rose is it, but if it is not, it will certainly do until the Rose Perfume From Heaven drops into my lap. I don’t know how to describe it except that it is a perfect rose. I love the idea of a rose soliflore, but have found the reality to be too often seriously flawed. I do have several beloved rose scents–Coup de Foudre, Velvet Rose, Oha, Rosa Alba. Oha is in fact probably in my top 10 perfumes, but it is not just rose, and it can be a little too heavy in the summer. CdF is lovely, but it can sometimes seem too fresh and sharp, as can Rosa Alba, Velvet Rose is beautiful, but requires judicious application. Too much, and I fell as if I am drowning in a swimming pool full of rose petals. All the faults I can point to in other rose scents are lacking in White Rose. It is not too sour, too sweet, too thick, too thin, too light, too heavy, too sharp, too spicy, too bland, too covered up with other notes, or too anything. Just for the first couple of minutes it is almost a touch too green, but then it warms beautifully. After that, it is about three hours of Roses. There certainly must be other notes present besides rose, but I don’t really pick any of them out. They seem to serve only to enhance the rose and probably to fill in what is lost from the live flower during the extraction process. There doesn’t even seem to be any drydown as such; when it is done it seems to disappear all at once, leaving no trace of its passing–no lingering scent of musk or amber or whatever. If it has a fault, it is that the lasting power is only moderate, although many perfumes do not last long on my skin. Three hours is actually not bad, and if in fact it is all natural (the package says “natural”), then three hours is fantastic longevity. None of the Anya’s Garden scents lasted over an hour for me,(and some were gone within 30 minutes), and Aftelier Secret Garden, which is otherwise delightful, only lasts an hour to an hour and a half. The more I wore my sample of White Rose, the more I wanted to wear it. I really cannot imagine any event, situation, or season for which it would be inappropriate. I think if I had to choose one perfume to wear exclusively for an entire month, it would be the one. My bottle, incidentally, came from TPC. A FB is actually 32 ml, but this was 15 ml (shipped in a separate, plain, tighly sealed screw-top bottle), plus the original bottle and box. I might add that the packaging really is beautiful; it even looks better in person than in the photos. The bottle is HEAVY cut glass with a ground glass stopper. Even the outer box is beautiful–heavy-weight, sturdy, and with a beautiful design on it. TPC apparently had only one such bottle for sale; once I ordered it, the listing changed to “Out of Stock”. The only other place to get it seems to be eBay, from a few sellers in Japan.
I think I’ve just got a case of the lemmings for WR….
I got an Aromatics Elixir set: 25 ml plus a tube of AE body lotion from TJ Maxx for $29.99 – but I had a $25 gift card, so it was only $4.99.
Got a sample set from Parfum d’Empire for about $29 US and got 30 ml Badgley Mischka unsniffed (’cause Tania and Luca gave it 5 stars) for $9.99 from Marshalls. So, about $45.
I am not counting the 100 ml of Jardin du Poete that has not arrived yet from Aedes…
Did you like the BM? I didn’t love it.
I’ve not actually sprayed it on my skin yet, but on a cotton pad – not so much. It will take some studying to figure why T and L thought it was so great….
Jardin du Poete! I love that one.
I have been really good this quarter, not because I want to, I just have been working too many uncompensated overtime hours, even on weekends, oh well. I am grateful I have a job 🙂
I just bough recently a bottle of Idylle Duet. I am a bit disappointed, I thought it would have more patchouli, but it is nice and I have not even spent a whole day with it yet.
Even my decant purchasing has slowed down a bit. Maybe not too many interesting new launches after Christmas. I always look forward to the fall for the majority of new launches. Has anybody heard of any anticipated new launch that will get us excited? I also bought a decant of Iris Ganache and other decants I cannot quite remember. I am not sure I can afford a full bottle Iris Ganache right now, but I better make up my mind soon, before it disappears.
Hope you will fall in love with the Duet — I haven’t tried it yet.
Let’s see… I went really crazy…
L’Artisan Verte Violette on sale$50
Chanel #19 $110
Tom Ford Violet Blonde
Botegga veneta gift set $130
Balenciaga Paris $100
Frederic Malle L’Eau d’Hiver travel size $130
L’Artisan Piment Brulant on sale $50
SL Chergui $180
JHAG Citizen Queen perfume and travel bullets
Omnia on sale for $28
Black backup bottle on sale for $28
Oscar de la Renta EDT which I regret. Not as good as vintage.
15 ml Chanel Beige and a handful of 5ml Chanel exclusives decants
I profumi di forenze caterina de Medici blind buy 15 ml. Never blind buy!
And… Maitre Parfumer et Gantier Amber Precieux.
I can’t bear to do the math.
You did get some good deals though!
I was very good. For the 2nd quarter in a row, just 2 5-ml decants, this time totaling $22.50: Mona di Orio Vanille and Miller et Bertaux Shanti Shanti. I’m trying not to buy anything until I find time to go through what I already have and move along the unloveds… and since I’m short on time/motivation, I haven’t been buying much at all.
Excellent!
Scent Glue Skin. I needz it. I’d buy less. (Well, maybe.) 🙂
It’s less the scent glue skin and more the single parent w/a ridiculous commute, leading to an urge to simplify. Plus the realization that even though I have so many things to choose from, there aren’t really *that* many that I wear on a regular basis. Decisions overwhelm, etc.
Boojum,
I’m a realive newbie infected by the perfume virus 🙂 maybe less than a year. Where does one get a 5 ml decant of MdO Vanille for $12? Or someone mentioned 10 ml of Guerlain’s Bois d’Armenie for $15? I’m going crazy! Not anywhere I looked 🙁 Help, need guidance! Thanks for any advice.
After hanging out around here awhile, I got to know some of the other commenters, and we started splitting bottles amongst ourselves at cost, rather than buying decants elsewhere. And then sometimes someone will find a great deal on ebay and split that. So, the short answer is networking, I guess.
Thanks so much, I appreciate it! Hopefully, one day I’ll be able to do it too 🙂
My New Year’s Resolution was not to buy unsniffed and minimize FB purchases…. ::::: sigh :::::
* Nobile 1942 Le Petite Chocolotier – 3 x 30mL
Gorilla Perfume Exclusives Mini (8 scents)
Gorilla Perfume Orange Blossom – 9mL
Gorilla Perfume 25:43 – 9mL
* OJ Discovery Set
* Lab on Fire What We Do in Paris is Secret – 60mL <– my favorite
Bvlgari Omnia Coral – 40mL
L'Eau de Chloe – 50mL
Dark Passage – 7mL (paid for it in March but will not receive until June)
* 100% sure I bought these as a result of reading about them here.
At some point this year, I would like to get the Hermessence Gift Set and I need to replenish Kelly Caleche.
On the flip side, I had managed to avoid all the tempting Gift with Purchase / Beauty Events – yay me! Also, my Sephora purchases were at a bare minimum AND when I bought some things, I used gift cards I received this past and the previous Christmas!
Hey, no fair assigning blame, LOL…
1. Viktor & Rolph Spicebomb
2. Agent Provacateur L’Agent
3. Opus Oils Heavy Sugar
4. Etat Libre D’Orange Tom of Finland
5. Tom Ford Private Blend Lavender Palm
And about 25-30 decants.
Carlos – what about the AdP Essenza, hmmmm? 😉
I totally forgot about that one. Thanks, V! Also, I already moved Tom to another loving home. I swapped it for Parfums de Nicolai Kiss Me Tender.
Ha ha! Keeping our Carlos honest. 😉
Hey Carlos, you’re slowing down!
FB wise I have. My decant collection is upwards of 400!
Darn it, your L’ Agent comment made me remember I bough a bottle of Diamond Dust.
So add another hundred to my total.
Marc Jacobs Bang 100ml
Annick Goutal Musc Nomade 100ml
Prada Infusion D’Iris EDP 50ml
Hermes Un Jardin Sur le Toit 50ml
Lalique Encre Noire 50ml
Guerlain Homme 50ml
Way too much, but I have a new friend who’s a new to perfume, and she’s a great enabler!
Blame her then 🙂
So much for no fair assigning blame… 😉
LOL! Knew I’d get caught.
a cheap and cheerful impulse purchase of Tommy Girl 50ml from Superdrug for £19! Unsniffed! And I absolutely love it! It has become my springtime day scent and I wear it everyday! Yay!
How nice!
I love a good bargain, and Tommy Girl is really pretty, a very calming, breezy sort of scent.
Let’s start with Amouage
Gold and Lyric
L’Artisan
Traversée du Bosphere
L’eau
Havana Vanille
AlOud
La Chasse Au Pampillions or whatever it’s nice
Lé Ambre something
And two more that I cannot remember they are mostly packed up going from memory.
CdG
Harissa and Daphne
Most of the I Profumi de Firenze’s I love the light Italian Amber Betgamont I love that line for every day
Diptyque
Dos Son
Eau Duelle
Tam Dao
Hardin Clos
Olene
Phylosykus spelling??
Lubin’s
INENDITE spellbounding. Very sexy and sensuously delicious. Get some
Frederic Malle’s
MUSC Ravenger I think it’s my favorite perfume.
Sonoma Scent Studio
Wood Violet
Incense Pur
Champaign du Bois
Carthusia
1861
Mona di Orio’s
Vanille, spectacular
Byredo
Seven Veils
Bal d’ Afrique. Great line.
Andy Tauer’s
Orange Star
Lé Maroc Pour Elle
Guerlain
Insolence
My Insolence
Samsara
L’Huere Blue
Mitsouko
L’Instant
Chamade
Serge Lutens
Fluers di Cittroner
Bois de Violette
A la Nuit
Cèdre
Daim Blond
Datura noir
Un Lys
Feminite du Bois
Santal Blanc. Serge is my true love.
Cherugi
Creed
Acqua Fiorentino
Love In Black
The Jasmin
The Tuberose
Dior
Dune
Dior Addict I & II
Reminiscence
Mi FA
Pavo Rabanne
Metal. Really nice
YSL
Opium
Caron
Farnesiana
Costume National
Scent II
Etate Libre dOrange
Divine Enfant. Truly a work of art.
Vero perfumes
RUBJ. Second Fav
Hermes
Kelly Caleche
Chanel
#5
Gucci
Envy
D&G
#1 Lé Bateleur
La Imperatrice. Like it
Another one cannot remember
Jean Patou
Joy
Acqua di Parma
Iris Nobile
Mandorlo di Sicilia from Blu line
Fico di Amalfi Blu line. Love this house it says chic, money, class, summer seduction. Love them
A few (3) by Colette
Elli Saab
Armani
Armani Code
Armani Mania. You wouldn’t believe the compliments I get when I wear these. Everytime. At least 2-4 say something nice
Guerlain
Shalimar Initial. Love it.
Lolita Lempicka
The purple apple one
Ci Lolita love it. All peppery
Marc Jacobs
Daisy
Dior
MissDior Cherie
Loves this stuff
Parfumerie Generale
Indochine. Great little frag
D.S and Durga or something like that
Shake shake Señora love that so different. I bought a full bottle on the spot after one spray
Then another one it’s cleat and smells like medicine.
Santa Maria Novella
SMN cologne
ZAGARA
Gelsomino
Tuberosa. I love the idea of these they last no time and are gone but you gotta have a couple for days when you are at home and close to the bottle to reapply
Prada
Infusion d’Iris
The yellow colored juice with no name I think it’s just Amber but that cannot be right I have two Prada Amber Frags?
Leu Ambree
Givenchy
Hot couture. Always get compliments
ange e demon
Thierry Mugler
Alien Sunessence. Great smell
Dior again
Hypnotic Poison. Quite sensu
Gucci
Guilty
Histories de Parfum
Violette it lasts no time. Smelled nothing like the sample but I had to keep it. What a waste.
Gucci
Rush
Envy Me
The one with the key on it
The pink one #2 I think. Loved that.
So many boxed up
Stella McCartney
Stella
D&G
La Rue De LaFortune I think it’s #10. Love these all three that I have
Dior
Dune. Love it
Chloe
Love, Chloe Okay Had to have it and now it’s forgettable. But for a week I adored it.
There are about 100 that are packed up and I’m tired but I’ve done some serious shopping. Oh
Lucien Lelong
Tailspin
Sirroco
I am getting the Atelier Neroli for signature scent or the Amber Nue leaning toward that 200 ml of Neroli
And I have Bois Blonds it’s okay
Biggest likes Musc Ravenger. Carnal Flower must be Heaven but I’m in love with Ravenger. Huge Fav
Vero’s Rubj it’s exquisite just something perfect I found
Etat Libre d Orange
Really beautiful. Hoping the Atelier Neroli is similar. The 200ml Atelier is perfect for an everyday scent. Large quantity and high quality.
I give myself an A+ for branching out into niche and luxury. Amouage is sinful.
I love perfume so much. I dab some on before bed think about it over a few minutes before deciding until I decided to get the Atelier Neroli
I have to have perfume everyday. Today I sprayed I bet 10 spritzes of My Insolence to make everything better hadn’t showered, was sweaty and out of deoderant. It worked and I felt like aGuerlain girl. I did okay today as far as my efforts. On the 11th if anyone reads this I find out if I’m going to be charged with Domestic Violence for raising my voice to my in laws when they wouldn’t leave. They said they were referring me to mental health court cause I have some diagnoses and when I got there this cheaply dressed little [ed note: profanity removed] of a prosecutor takes one look at me and says I don’t qualify for mental health court. Socioeconomic status should not determine whether or not I was having a breakdown or just being a thug criminal. If ANYTHING is unethical I’m suing everyone. And ill win. In the meantime I have to live with the fact that if I am found guilty in criminal court I could face 4 years. I had been pushed and toyed with and abused until I snapped I couldn’t control it. I just went insane for about 10 minutes. Then cried and apologized. Only my in laws want me gone so they can move in and take care of my kids. Liars and troublemakers. I questioned face to face my husband’s Mom, Why did you say the yelling never stopped? And why did you forget I apologized. She said I didn’t write that. I said I saw the report. She said well it won’t matter. I said but you lied and I got arrested. Call the police and tell them you filed a false report your anger took over she started crying. She is an opiate addict and is on the verge of losing it but I told her exactly what I thought about her. I got it all out. I went nuts. Un controllable emotional breakdown. Never had that happen. I have PTSD, anxiety, depression, bipolar illness and insomnia + ADHD. I’m a mess. When medicated I’m fine. That morning I had missed my night dose and all day took nothing so I was in harms way by the time I was released. I cannot believe this. [ed note: threatening sentence removed] I need mental help and would love a group class. Pray for me. Pray for Mercy and Grace. Ask that I be forgiven. It was a breakdown. Amazing the emotions that build up when not handled with care. I want to go to law school if I have this on my record, never. I still am in shock. Please join in prayer next Wednesday. Please pray for me.
DolceSarah, I really hope you find some help — good luck.
Sending some good wishes your way…
I’m just starting out in the world of perfume as of about January and feel a little embarrassed that I don’t have the most well-developed nose or taste (or pocketbook–I stuck to things with fairly low price points), but I’ll dive in here!
Etat Libre d’Orange Putain Des Palaces
Lush 25:43
Lush Dirty
Lush Lust
Kate Walsh Boyfriend
Parfum d’Empire Azemour Les Orangers
Also about 50 samples purchased, and many more acquired for free!
Wow, nice picks — nothing to be embarrassed about!
Hey, thank you! The commenters here are so kind!
Sometimes it takes a while for one’s pocketbook to catch up to one’s nose–I lusted after Iris Ganache for 4 or 5 years while I was unemployed and underemployed.Don’t be embarrassed–you still smell nice:-)
Oh, absolutely! I wouldn’t knock your taste. You got some nice things.
I love love love a bargain and I like easy to find too. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to smell good.
I forgot Amber Gris, Balmain
Parfums de Nicolai
Sacrebleu
Sacrebleu Intense. I love it so
Kiss me tender.
I spent several thousand. I didn’t like Harissa by CdG if someone wants a brand new bottle I sale to please. I went nuts. I think I went from curious past novice. I know most of the names I see most some I look up. How can socioeconomic status determine your mental health? That’s like saying color of skin does.
No, it doesn’t make any sense. Mental illness affects rich and poor alike.
I bought the 200ml bottle of Chanel Bois des Iles EDT, FK Cologne pour le Soir (again, massive 200ml), L’artisan Bois Farine 100ml. And a bunch of samples. It’s a lot, but I haven’t spent this much on perfume in about 7 years. My rule now is if I want a new bottle, I sell a bottle or two of something I haven’t worn in 6 months. That way I don’t accumulate stuff I don’t wear and I am less likely to impulse buy.
I suppose this probably counts too – I bought a Geodesis candle in Aloe (smells great!).
Candles don’t count (although it’s fun to hear about them)!
I bought decants of Chanel Bois Des Iles, Serge Lutens De Profundis and Guerlain Attrape Coeur, and the Ormonde Jayne discovery set. I knew I loved the first three and I was fairly sure I’d love at least a few of the Ormonde Jaynes but they’ve been even better than I expected. I wish more houses would do sets.
I mostly behaved myself this quarter….primarily due to a hard lesson learned!
Let’s see….
JPG Classique off the aptly named evilBay….$20
Sabon NYC Boutique perfume $40, free shipping but this turned out to be a horror. I had read great reviews that sounded as if this would be right up my alley. Got it in, and it was a very odd greenish brown color. I thankfully sacrificed a piece of unwanted mail to a test and it was so terrible I dropped it on the floor! I think my poor arm would have melted off had I sprayed it on skin. So that’s on it’s way back to Sabon who thankfully have a return policy.
That’s pretty much put me off blind buys for a good while. Lea came back up on LuckyScent and I behaved myself and got a sample instead of springing on a FB. Also got samps of What We Do in Paris is Secret, YSL Cinema, and a decant of Eau Duelle winging their way to me. Not here yet but paid for already so counting them. Total damage around $65 or so, not counting the credit forthcoming from Sabon.
I’ve bought a number of things blind (especially those vintage minis I’m so addicted to) – but I try not to spend more than about $15 on them. Every time I think my motto should be “Never buy unsniffed,” intoned majestically, I remember that some of my favorites were impulse discount purchases.
I might feel differently if I’d had a horror story, though. Usually it’s a like-but-not-love situation.
$15 sounds like an excellent limit to impose and I think I’ll implement that in the future once I get over this 🙂
Argh. It’s April 4, and I’ve already bought something ELSE.
I am looking at my second 30ml bottle of Le Temps d’une Fete, and its shrinking level – and am cringing at the thought of its being reformulated before I run out of this bottle – and I love love love LTdF, it remains in my Top Three All-Time. So. I found a big bottle for a reasonable price, and snapped that sucker up. I am not letting my love leave me…
Mals – I think, all things equal, you do need to be aggressive about your holy grail fragrances. No messing around. Otherwise, you’ll be looking in a few years and spending 3 or 4 times as much on ebay to get something you could have had for a song. Case in point: I waited for about 10 years too long to get a second bottle of Mariella Burani. Since you love it and have some yourself, you won’t be surprised that these days this small beauty is well more than $250 on ebay now for what was only about $30 before…
That much! Holy cow, I remember when all Buranis could be had for about $20 on discounter sites. No one was interested at that time. I don’t hoard vintage, in my case I just feel like it’s too much time and effort to chase stuff that is now discontinued or reformulated beyond belief, but I do miss the days (early 00s was the begining of the end) of when you could score all kinds of good overlooked vintage and chypres from discounters and ebay for a song.
Actually, I think it was on amazon that I saw such high prices for sets and things for Marielle Burani, but still. The same is true for Cartier So Pretty. The price has just skyrocketed for something that was just “normal” even a year or two ago.
Amazing indeed.
I got a full bottle along with body lotion from a church fundraiser for something like $5 over 10 yrs ago. I liked it initially and used it just because it was there. By the time I emptied the bottle though, I couldn’t wait to finish it up. If I had known it would be is such demand today, I’d have saved it all up for a nice swap. Oh well….
I am trying to be very good about spending now for boring and good reasons: boring is household expenses b/c our new-old house needs some plumbing work, and I need to buy dirt for my garden. Dirt is very expensive! And the good reason: I’m holding out for something big and special later this year – maybe more Ormonde Jayne Woman or some Bois des Iles extrait…. something special. And I want some more SSS Champage de Bois when it’s done.
I did buy the mother’s day set of Bottega Veneta though. After months of holding out and not being sure if I liked it enough, I realized I did after I used up my three samples. So that’s that. This is my leanest quarter yet.
Lean, perhaps, but an excellent investment!
I’m also waiting on SSS CdB, and its new boutique line offspring….
Three and a half, but my most expensive quarter yet. Combined with last quarter (my second most expensive!), it’s been an indulgent six months of perfume.
A Taste of Heave By Killian Travel Refil $160.
Balenciaga Paris Decant $15
Cafe Noir (unsniffed purchase… but for charity, surely it doesn’t really count?) $30.
Coffee and Cedar $18.
Total = $223.
Plus I swapped for two bottles thanks to the perfume posse swap. It’s been a fumey couple months, in the best way!
I have fantastic news to my side story soap opera of a life as of the last 8 months. My husband has been completely possessed by a demon. Throwing out is hatred, abuse, and neglect like cards being played in a game. He is on a journey. He hasn’t yet discovered the culprit/s of the demise in him as a husband and father. He has agreed to marriage counseling. And psychotherapy individually. I found out that I am safe and in no danger for coming unglued. Life is unmanageable one day and the everything falls into place. I have a shrink. As long as my husband has exorcised the demon I’m fine. I need him he is my best friend. So Robin, thanks for caring. We are all on the mend. Let it BE! Peace and love to everyone.
Hope it all works out for you.
Only three bottles so far this year. Habanita, Jacomo Silences and Roberto Cavalli Oro. I am still thinking about a purchase of Gin Blossom by Love and Toast. Any opinions on this one ?
Ok I only bought gifts.. I know they don´t count…. but I paid for them with my money so they DO count for me…
1) Hermes Equipage 30ml (vintage) about 30 U$S
2) Chanel Cristalle 50ml (vintage) about 40 U$S
3) Ricci Ricci 50ml retail price (I bought it at Chile’s Intl Airport duty free shop)
4) Eau de Mediterranee 100ml (same as above) as a 1 year wedding anniversary present for my husband.
I know you all wonder how come I didn´t get something for ME ME ME …. well my birthday is coming up by the end of april… hehehehehe I am saving up.
Goodness, I hadn’t bought *anything* this quarter. On the other hand, I did participate in Swappapalooza and ended up with Climat and AA Ylang Vanille, so no sense of deprivation. Third quarter aka July I will be in Montreal — I had heard rumours of Etat Libre D’Orange’s line being available there, so I am hoping someone here can tell me where…
Heh. Hiding at the end. . .
Damage? What damage? 🙂
I see you 😀 So what did you get, out of curiosity? :p
Maybe it’s too late for you to see this? But here goes: Champagne de Bois, Memoir (!!!), Traversee du Bosphore, and over $125 in samples and decants! 🙂
In the interest of honesty I better add that I just bought a bottle of Mandarine Mandarin last night. I think that’s me done for the year!
I’v been worse, but I’v also been better:
Full bottles:
– 100ml YSL M5 (could only get it in 100mls, and needed to swoop before its discontinued for the inferior M5 Absolute Oud)
– 30ml Baiser Vole
– 17ml SSS Lieu de Reves
I purchased an almost-full bottle of Aimez-Moi EDT from our own mals86, and a half-full bottle of Champs-Elysees through the Smell Good, Do Good fundraiser.
I’m coming in after everyone is gone to say I was a bad girl and most of it was in a 2-week flurry.
L’Heure Bleue extrait, partial bottle, total deal
Narcisse Noir extrait, not too bad a price
Cartier Declaration on sale
VC&A Gardenia Petale on sale
Tova Nights on sale
Vent Vert mid-formulation edt on sale
Creed Eugenie tester that could be an imposter for all I know but still smells fine, nice deal
JPG MaDame deal
Heeley Hippe Rose full price
Byredo Seven Veils full price (got 50 ml, wish it was 100)
MPG Magnolia Pourpre unsniffed, nice deal, love it
Bunch of Les Senteurs Gourmandes and Crazylibellule Crazysticks that were nearly free.
Tommi Sooni Eaus de Tommi II on sale
Costamor Sugarwood on sale
So, I got some nice deals but still bought way too much. No $ tally, I will have a heart attack.
Aha! Hoping no one will see! You got some good stuff. I am chickening out for the first time, this quarter. I got som good stuff, too. 🙂
Some, not som! 🙂
Well, you’ve both been spotted!
Oops! 🙂
I bought only one: FM En Passant. Locked my lemmings in to a closet, but I feel them gnawing their ways out…
Super duper late but I was pretty good. Only Pacifica Tibetan Mountain Temple and Parfum d’Empire Azemour Les Orangers!